Hitherto, as an electronic equipment loaded at host equipment such as personal computer and/or digital still camera, etc., there are used substantially plate-shaped IC cards within which semiconductor integrated circuit elements are included. The IC card includes a substantially rectangular card body within which, e.g., flash memory is included, wherein terminal portions for electrically connecting to host equipment are provided at one short side of the card body.
There are, e.g., small-sized IC cards which are common to such existing IC cards in the electric specification and are different from the latter in outer appearance. Since such small-sized IC cards are different from the existing IC cards in the physical specification, it is impossible to load such small-sized IC card with respect to loading unit of the existing IC card. In view of the above, there are adapter devices which can load small-sized IC card with respect to the loading unit of the existing IC card. As such adapter device, there is an adapter device described in the International Laid Open pamphlet No. WO 02/059831.
At the adapter device described in this pamphlet, a loading portion adapted so that small-sized IC card is loaded therewithin is provided, an insertion/withdrawal opening for the small-sized IC card is provided at the rear surface side in a manner continuous to the loading portion, and terminal portions for performing electrical connection to the host equipment are provided at the front surface side. At the adapter device, cut portions are provided at both corner portions of the rear surface side where insertion/withdrawal portion is provided. The cut portions provided at both corner portions of the rear surface side where the insertion/withdrawal portion is provided allow both corner portions of the rear surface side of the IC card to be faced to the external when the small-sized IC card is loaded with respect to the loading portion to permit user to grasp the portion faced to the external portion from the cut portions of the IC card, e.g., both side surfaces of the rear surface side to take out the IC card loaded at the loading portion from the loading portion.
At the adapter device described in the pamphlet, since both corner portions of the rear surface side of the small-sized IC card loaded at the loading portion are only faced to the external portion from the cut portions at the time of loading of the small-sized IC card, the area that user can grasp the small-sized IC card is small. When user takes out the small-sized IC card from the loading portion, he draws out the IC card loaded at the loading portion in such a manner to grasp side surfaces opposite to each other of the rear surface side of the IC card faced to the external from the cut portions. Since the area that user grasps the IC card is narrow, it becomes difficult to draw or pull out the IC card.
Moreover, portions of the top face and/or the lower face of the IC card are used as memorandum area for memorizing the content, etc. of data that user preserves onto the IC card. The memorandum area is used as area where memorandum is described directly by using pen on the casing by user, and/or is used as an area where label for describing as memorandum is stuck. Namely, label that user has described as memorandum or user intends to describe as memorandum is stuck. However, at the adapter device described in the pamphlet, when the small-sized IC card is loaded with respect to the loading portion, the entirety of the small-sized IC card is covered by the casing except for both corner portions of the rear surface side where cut portions are provided. Accordingly, when the small-sized IC card is loaded at the loading portion of the adapter device, user cannot visually recognize memorandum areas provided at the top face and/or lower face of the IC card. Accordingly, in order to confirm the memorandum area of the small-sized IC card loaded at the adapter device, it is necessary for user to take out the small-sized IC card from the loading portion. It is impossible to easily perform confirmation thereof.
Further, the top face of the adapter device is the portion noticed for user to the greatest degree, and is extremely important area in design. Accordingly, it is desirable that the configurations indispensable in view of function of the adapter device are provided at the lower face side if possible, and the top face can be freely designed if possible.